The Phantom and his Dragon
by nap-rik
Summary: Toothless and Hiccup to take a journey to become stronger. Meanwhile, Astrid finds her own special partner. And what happens when Berk is threatened by a mysteriously powerful foreign enemy? AstridxHiccup ToothlessxOC 1st Fanfic Read
1. A normal day

**Disclaimer: How to Train Your Dragon is a Dreamworks Copyright**

A/N: After months of reading various fanfics and watching movies/reading books, I've decided to write my own fanfic...so this is the very 1st one...thx goes to Amaya who gave me a great tip and this chapter is the new chapter after the advice was followed

please

read

and

REVIEW!  
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Clank Clank Clank. It had been 2 weeks since the entire village of Berk had changed for the better. _Clank Clank Clank_. Hiccup sighed. Everything had changed. People started to look up to him. His father started believing in him and he finally was able to talk to Astrid. The moon shone brightly as Hiccup walked home. __

Clank Clank Clank. He remembered what had gone on that entire day. After dinner, the elder requested Hiccup to give a demonstration with Toothless. Hiccup refused and Toothless made it clear that he wasn't a circus performer. So, the elder settled with having Hiccup give a speech after dinner. At the time, he had seemed extremely nervous, but he saw a certain golden locked gal in the crowd and heard the familiar croon of his dragon and that gave him confidence.

_Clank Clank Clank_. Even though, many things had changed for the better, he was still not used to having a metallic peg instead of a left foot. He kept tripping over the slightest thing and walking down a hill was suicide. As he was walking by, some people would wave to him and others would holler a quick "G'nite Hiccup!"

Finally, he was alone...that is if you leave out the midnight blue dragon that was circling down to meet him.

"Hey Toothless. How's it going buddy?"

The adolescent dragon growled with delight for finally being able to spend time with the one he trusted the most. Ever since the duo killed the Green Death 2 weeks ago, popularity made life hell for both boy and dragon. People would follow the boy everywhere and many kids wanted to ride the Night Fury. Toothless made sure to scare all of the children, so that he wouldn't become the next village plaything. However, Hiccup had a harder time getting away. The only people who helped him get away were Stoick, Astrid, and, occasionally, Gobber. When neither of the 3 where available, people would openly chase either Hiccup or Toothless.

So, they did what comes naturally when being chased: take off in the sky. There may have been dragons, but there was only one Night Fury. Nobody could catch them. The only person who knew where they would eventually land was Astrid. She usually found the pair playing around in the woods where Toothless had made his home. Nobody else knew where Toothless' home was at and Hiccup made sure that Astrid would keep her lips sealed.

Hiccup snapped out of his thoughts as he clipped his metal foot onto Toothless's side harness. The dragon was excited; he hadn't flown in a while. When Hiccup was fully secured, Toothless took off. They went higher and higher and circled the mountaintops once, twice, three times; gliding silently above the earth, but below the moon. Hiccup braced himself as Toothless folded his wings and plunged for a steep dive. The wind was roaring in Hiccup's ears as Toothless whistled through the air. At the last minute, Hiccup adjusted his metallic foot and Toothless pulled up right before crashing into the forest below. As Toothless came up, he spread his wings lazily, so that the pair glided nice and easy. They touched down right behind Hiccup's house.

"Hey." A sudden voice surprised them both, but they recognized that it belonged to Astrid. "I saw y'all in the sky. How was it?"

"Well, you know how Toothless is," said Hiccup.

"Toothless is amazing," she said. And as an after thought, she sarcastically added, "Even if you're not."

"What?," he exclaimed before he realized that she had a grin on her face. Before he could say anything else, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss.

She turned around and hopped over the fence and started striding towards her house. She turned around and said,"Oh and by the way, nice speech," and then laughed at the expression frozen on Hiccup's face from when she kissed him.

Then, she turned around and started jogging back to her house. Hiccup and Toothless saw her go.

"Alright bud, I'm gonna get some rest."

The dragon plopped himself right on the table as soon as Hiccup opened the door - thus disturbing a very large and hairy man who was trying to read a letter of some sort.

"Hiccup, can't this, this, THING sleep outside?"

"Sure dad, how about you try to convince him to go outside?" retorted his son.

"Well, you have a point," Stoick replied.

"Anyway...I think I'm gonna hit the hay. Good night dad."

"Sleep well son," said Stoick.

As his son retired upstairs, Stoick stared at the letter with solumn concentration. [This is not good] he thought. As he retired to his bed, he was pondering what decision he should make. As he drifted off to sleep he decided that he would need to have the council and elders called together to know about this news.

**So what in the world is this "bad news?"  
Is it really bad or is Stoick just overreacting?**

Find out next time.

And that's it...nap-rik signing off  



	2. It's just a tournament, right?

**Disclaimer: I don't own How to Train Your Dragon  
It is a Dreamworks copyright.  
**  
**A/N: Wow it's the second chapter of the first fanfic**  
**I don't know what to say but I'd like to thank Amaya for giving me that tip.**

I really needed it.

Read and Enjoy and don't forget to...

**REVIEW!****  
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Hiccup woke up to Toothless licking him on the face. He sat up and looked around and saw a note on the table. Hobbling to it, he picked up the note and read it silently while Toothless saw it from behind him.

_Morning Hiccup,_

_I left early in the morning in order to organize a council meeting. Get yourself some breakfast and meet me at the docks after I'm done._

Stoick the Vast  
  
"Ok Toothless, what do you want for breakfast? Oh wait...let me guess: more fish," said Hiccup. Toothless looked up at him with a look of expectancy and innocence at the same time. "Fine, I'll get breakfast," he said. On his way to the butcher's shop, he bumped into the only other man who had a peg leg, Gobber.

" 'allo there Hiccup! How's the dragon and your leg?," Gobber asked.

"Toothless is doing just fine, but I don't think I could say the same for my leg," Hiccup replied as he almost fell down yet another flight of stairs.

"Ah well...you'll get used to it," he said. "By the way, did your dad tell you about the upcoming tournament?"

This question caught Hiccup off guard. "Tournament? What tournament?" he asked.

"Oh so he hasn't told you yet, eh? Well you'll find out about it pretty soon." And he walked away as fast as his peg leg would allow.

[Okay...that was a little weird], thought Hiccup. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he quickened his pace. He took the back roads because he didn't want to attract attention. Upon reaching the butcher shop, he got 30 fishes for Toothless and got a meat stick for himself. He reached home without any delay and was greeted with an excited and hungry dragon that tackled him as soon as he walked in. While Toothless munched on the fish with satisfaction, Hiccup nibbled a little bit of his stick and sighed. He wasn't that hungry. After he finished, he put on a full cloak and went outside while Toothless immediately made his sleeping spot on the table.

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Stoick had just come out of the council hall. The contents of the letter weren't as grim as he made it out to be, but he felt that it was far more sinister. He had recieved a proclamation from the new empire that had conquered a lot of enemies, the Moran Empire. It was requesting for its neighbors to participate in a fighting tournament in order to strengthen the bond between each other. He personally felt that it wanted to boast that it had the strongest warriors and army by having this facade of a tournament. Apparently the council didn't seem to agree with his intuition because they thought that it was a great idea. Stoick had to tell his son about it because people insisted that they wanted to see father and son fight in the tournament. He knew that convincing his son to take part in a fighting tournament would be about as easy as trying to get Toothless to eat eels. Still, he had to give it a shot. He was waiting patiently at the docks when a small figure in a cloak came up to him.

"Hey, dad what happened?," asked Hiccup as he was removing the hood of the cloak.

"I don't know where to start, so I'm just going to get to the point. The Moran Empire has decided to hold an invitational fighting tournament in order to strengthen its bonds with its neighbors. The majority of the council thought that it was a good idea to participate, so that we aren't seen as weak. However, they want you to be our junior participant."

"What? Why me?," exclaimed Hiccup.

"Because they think that father and son would look good fighting in the tournament and representing Berk."

"Why don't they have someone participate who is actually good at fighting?," suggested Hiccup

"Like who?," his father demanded.

"Like...I don't know...Astrid."

"So, long story short, you don't want to do it because you think that you aren't that good in fighting? Hiccup, you are my SON! It's in our blood to fight hard," Stoick said heatedly.

"Dad, I may be your son, but I'm not you. Besides how do you expect me to fight with this damn peg leg?," Hiccup asked.

Stoick couldn't answer that question. "Fine Hiccup, you win. I'll ask the council if they can have Astrid be our junior representative." After a momentary pause, he continued, "Son, it'll be best if you head on home. I will discuss with the village elder myself and present your view on this." Saying so, he went back into town and disappeared into the crowd.

Hiccup flipped up the hood and went back to his house taking a few shortcuts here and there. He went straight in and closed the door quietly so that the resting dragon wouldn't wake up. Going straight up to his room, he laid down on his bed and sighed.

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A hooded man walked into a dark alley and opened a door. Inside there was dim lighting and another man that was seated. The seated man had a scar running diagonally across his face, as if someone tried to draw an "X" but didn't finish. His hands were smooth and on his fingers there was a plethora of rings.

"Well?," demanded the man that was seated.

The hooded man fidgeted nervously as he spoke. "The Shadow Assassins are willing to help."

The seated man laughed. "Perfect."

The hooded man turned around to leave and the seated man said, "Hold on." As the hooded man turned around, the seated man said, "I assume you want your payment before you leave."

"Oh no no I'm fine," replied the hooded man nervously.

"Please, I insist." The seated man beckoned and another man in the room brought forth a small chest and opened it revealing one ruby, one sapphire, and one emerald, each one as vivid as the other.

The hooded man came up and took the chest that was offered while thanking profusely. He turned around and walked to the door. No sooner than he had touched the handle, he felt a sharp and stinging pain in the center of his back. He turned around and saw a red metal dagger stabbed into him. He became dizzy and fell.

"The best part is that it isn't the knife that kills, it's the poison," said the seated man as the hooded man squirmed and writhed with pain. Then, the hooded man stopped moving and the last thought on his mind was, [The king is in danger.]

"The seated man took a sip of wine. "Excellent. Everything is going according to plan. Soon I will be the king of the Moran Empire and I will make sure all of our 'neighbors' will be crushed beneath our boots." The man laughed as the dead body of the once alive person was being picked up and tossed into the sea.

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What will happen? Who is the seated man? Will Astrid participate?  
Find out in the next chapter.

Read and Review and I'll try post up the next chapter shortly (2-12 days)

**And that's it...I'm signing off.**


	3. The trip to Moran

**Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon. If I did, I'd be rich. But I don't.  
So, I'm not rich and it is a Dreamworks Copyright.**

A/N: Hey y'all it's been a while. I don't know why but the ideas just seem to be flowing together.  
At the rate I'm going, I'll probably have like 20 chapters before summer's over.  
I just hope to god that I don't get a writer's block.

Read and _**REVIEW!**_**  
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Hiccup didn't sleep well that night. He woke up really late and saw his dad and Toothless eating.

"Come here Hiccup, I've got some news for you," Stoick said. "I went to the elder and she accepted your proposal. She checked with Astrid just to be sure and the decision became final. Berk's two representatives for this tournament are Astrid and I."

"Thanks dad," said Hiccup and he really meant it. Even though he tamed the dreaded Night Fury, he wasn't anything like a fighter. He was the skinniest and the weakest out of all the teens that were his age. He really wished he could be stronger. He looked over at Toothless and the dragon stretched his wings and crooned. Hiccup sighed and then smiled. "Oh all right. Let's go."

Immediately, Toothless jumped up and he was ready. They both went outside and Hiccup clipped his metal foot into the stirrup. Toothless flared his wings and just before they were about to take off, they were stopped by the arrival of Astrid running towards them.

Panting to catch her breath, she asked, "Hiccup, can I ride with you?"

Without a word of reply, Hiccup offered his hand to hoist her up. She denied that and just climbed up. Stroking Toothless gently, he urged the dragon to take off smoothly, so as not to attract attention. Toothless flew higher and higher at a slow and steady pace. Climbing up into the trees, and then into the mountains, Toothless rose and burst straight through the clouds. He circled a few times, waiting for Hiccup.

"Hey, he wants to dive, so hold on tight," said Hiccup.

"Alright," said Astrid.

Hiccup adjusted his foot. "Here we g-." The words were snatched right out of his mouth as Toothless folded his wings and dived. It wasn't as fast as with Hiccup alone because Toothless never wanted to show what he could truly do unless he was with Hiccup only. However, it was still exhilarating. Hiccup adjusted his foot earlier than usual as well because he didn't want to show their full capability to anybody just yet. Astrid took a deep breath and sighed peacefully as Toothless spread his wings and glided smoothly.

As Toothless coasted towards Hiccup's house, Astrid asked softly but dangerously, "Why did you suggest for me to take part in the tournament?"

Hiccup became extremely timid. "Because I thought that you were the strongest and the most graceful in one on one combat."

There was a long silence until Toothless landed. Then, she whacked Hiccup on the back - hard.

"Ow!," exclaimed Hiccup

"That's for suggesting me to the elder," she said

"And this...," she kissed him, "...is for telling me how you think of me." That kiss silenced him. As she got off Toothless, she said, "Tomorrow, I have to go with your dad, Gobber, and the elder to the Moran Empire to visit the king. Can you come with us?"

"Sure. I'd be happy to accompany you guys there," Hiccup replied.

The next day, Hiccup suited up with Toothless when Gobber stopped him.

"Hiccup, the elder doesn't want to go there by dragon, so you're gonna have to leave the Night Fury here," he said.

Hiccup was a little skeptical. "You want Toothless to be left here ALONE, so that he can become fodder for the village kids? Have you lost your mind?"

Gobber was quick with his reply. "She's scared of heights and she doesn't want to reveal that dragons co-exist peacefully with us. She thinks this may attract too much unwanted attention from the Empire."

Hiccup sighed and got off of Toothless. "Ok bud, I'm going for a few days and I have to leave you here."

Toothless looked up to him and gave him a look that was similar to a puppy-dog face. This gave Hiccup a lump in his throat, but he steeled his nerves and smiled at the adolescent dragon to give him some optimism. He started to take off the things he had put on Toothless for the trip. When he was done, he ushered Toothless quietly into the house. Then, he went straight to the butcher shop and got 300 fish. He came back and put the fish in 5 barrels, so that Toothless would have enough to last for a few days. He got help from Astrid, Stoick, and Gobber. When he was done, he asked the others for 5 minutes of privacy with Toothless. After he made sure that everyone had gone outside, he sat down in front of a sleeping Toothless.

"I must be out of my mind for actually talking with a dragon. I wish I could take you bud, but they don't want you to go." After a sigh, he continued, "I need you and you need me. I gave you flight and food and you gave me courage. Oh who am I kidding, I'm talking to a sleeping dragon. There is no way he would get this."

Hiccup got up and went out the door making sure he locked it. The midnight blue dragon opened his eyes and despite what Hiccup had said, he really had understood how his partner felt because he had tears streaming down his face.

"Come on Hiccup! We're running late," Astrid called.

"I'm here, I'm here," he said. He hoisted his pack on him and it was heavy, but he didn't want to complain in front of Astrid, so he beared with it. The group of five set off and in no time, they reached the docks. They took the fastest ship available. Few came to see them off.

As the island of Berk grew smaller in the distance and the borders of the empire grew larger in the horizon, Hiccup grew nervous. However, that nervousness seemed to fade away as they anchored at the Moran docks. A carriage that was attached to four white stallions awaited them. It showed that they were to be treated as very important guests.

Hiccup didn't talk much when he was on the boat and he didn't feel like talking much while they were in the carriage. As the carriage stopped in front of the palace, there were similar carriages that were also there. As they walked into the palace, they were greeted by none other than the king himself.

"Hello there and welcome to Moran. You must be coming from the neighboring island of Berk. My name is Kund and I am the king of Moran," he said. He had white facial hair that was smooth and he was of average height. He was skinny like Hiccup, but his voice boomed loudly and it was full of warmth.

"King Kund, I am Stoick the Vast," said Stoick. Standing at full height, he was atleast two feet taller than the king. "This is Astrid, Gobber, the Village elder, and Hiccup."

King Kund inspected each person carefully. He went to Stoick and praised him for being strong and straight-forward. He gave Astrid compliments for being lithe, quick, and graceful for her age. Gobber was complimented for being witty with words, but extremely loyal to friends. He called the elder as someone who was wise because she had seen her own life through and through.

As Hiccup heard the king praising all of the others, he wondered how Toothless was doing. He was so caught up that the king had to snap his fingers a few times before Hiccup came back to his senses. Feeling embarrassed, he apologized by kneeling in front of the king.

"I'm sorry," said Hiccup.

King Kund grasped Hiccup firmly by the shoulders and lifted him up, so that he could stand. Then, the king leaned in and whispered, "You are destined for greatness even if you don't think you are. You have the moral courage to do what is right, even if you have to do it alone." The king took a step back and it was clear that none of the others had heard what he had said to Hiccup.

"Thank you," said Hiccup quietly. The king just nodded at him. A door at the end of the hall opened and a man made his way towards the small group. He had a scar that ran diagonally down his face. There were several multicolored rings on his hands. While the king had an aura of warmth and cheeriness, this man seemed to be cold and cruel.

"Let me introduce you to my most trusted advisor, Himaz," said King Kund. "He will show each of you to your rooms. All of you should rest and tomorrow after breakfast, the representatives can meet with each other and register for the tournament."

"Please follow me and stay close because it is easy to get lost in the castle," said Himaz flatly.

After going through what felt like a labyrinth, he came into a room that had five doors. Each door opened up into a large bedroom with a nice view and a large bed. As soon as Hiccup got to his room, he dumped his pack on a chair and collapsed on the bed, drained. He waited for about five minutes for sleep to come and wash all his worries away.

**Looks like we know who the seated man is, and that Astrid's participating.**

Will Hiccup be okay in a foreign place for a few days?  
Will Toothless be alright at home?  
How will Astrid feel if she has some real competition **in the tournament?**

Find out next time.

This is nap...signing out. 


	4. Registration and Recognition

**A/N: I am so so so very sorry for being extremely late with the 4th chapter...from now on I'm going to be putting out a chapter per week...unless I say that I can't in an A/N in one of the chapters for that week.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON" because it belongs to Dreamworks Studio.**

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

Sunlight streamed through the window. Astrid yawned and opened her eyes. Taking a big sigh, she got herself out of bed and started getting dressed. Today was the registration for all the warriors and even though Hiccup had called her strong and graceful, she didn't feel like it. Instead, she felt nervous and apprehensive. After she finished getting dressed, she grabbed her weapons pack which had a double headed battle ax, a spiked shield, 10 smaller axes for throwing. She went to her door and opened it quietly. She was surprised that she was the only one up. She crept quietly over to one door at the far end and opened it. In front of her lay a snoozing Hiccup. A small grin found its way on her face. Tip-toeing to the bed, she held a pitcher of water.

As she stood there watching Hiccup, she thought about having Hiccup as a boyfriend. She always thought that she would fall in love with someone strong and caring. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that it would be Hiccup. He's caring and can be strong in his own right, but it wasn't until much later did she realize that she had fallen in love with a person she thought was a loser.

She took a deep breath and splashed the water on Hiccup.

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Hiccup was having a pleasant sleep when he was abruptly interrupted by a sudden blast of water in his face. He sat up and spluttered. While he coughed, he cracked open one eye to find Astrid rolling on the floor holding her insides to keep from laughing really loudly.

"What did you do that for?," he demanded.

"It was soooo funny. You flopped like a fish," she said while gasping for breath.

"Well what else am I supposed to do when it feels like I'm about drown?," he exclaimed.

"Yeah I know...sorry about that...and thanks. I had a great laugh," said Astrid.

While she was wiping her eyes, Hiccup got a small smirk on his face and picked up the slightly damp pillow. "It's payback time," said Hiccup.

Astrid opened her eyes and was too late as she got a face-ful of a soggy pillow. "That's not fair," she exclaimed.

"Neither is pouring water on a sleeping person," he retorted.

Then, she sat down next to him and they both sighed and laughed. Suddenly they stopped because they saw Gobber, with a mischievious look on his face, at the door. "Well I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," he said.

Astrid blushed a bright shade of pink as Hiccup exclaimed, "Gobber...it's not what you think."

"Sure it isn't," he said sarcastically as he shut the door. [There aren't too many things that a boy and a girl do when they're alone] he thought and chuckled.

Hiccup got up off the bed and then asked Astrid to leave the room, so that he could get ready. After about 15 minutes, he was strapped up and ready to go. He exited his room and entered into the hall. The others were also ready. A boy that was smaller than Hiccup was there. Presumably he was an escort because without a word, he beckoned at the group and started walking down the hall.

The rag-tag group of vikings followed the boy through a number of hallways and corridors until they came to a grand door that was made of marble and emerald and lined with gold.

"The king is about to welcome all of the warriors that have come to represent them. Later on, these warriors will be asked to do a short combat demonstration in front of the people," said the boy. "I will be your guide if you need help and my name is Petrid."

As he finished, he put his pinkies to his mouth and whistled - loud. The guards at the top gave him a thumbs up. He stopped and the giant doors opened slowly. Inside was the throne room. It was completely decorated with streamers and various ornamental chandeliers. There were banners hanging from the ceiling which were an emerald green color and each banner had gold cursive writing with a silver trim around it. On the banners, there were names of other empires and commonwealths that had registered to take part in this friendly tournament. Everybody except Petrid, the elder, and Stoick were amazed. 

"It has that effect on new people," said Petrid while he guided the group towards the Berk banner.

"So? It's just a big room with a lot of banners," Stoick replied coolly as if he had seen better. They got to their designated area and waited patiently. Astrid looked around at all of her possible opponents. Many of them were big and looked mean, but there was one that caught her eye. He carried himself in a dignified manner and had flaming red hair. He was with another man who had long black hair. They both stood out because they didn't look as fierce as the rest of the warriors around them.

[Pansies], she thought. Suddenly the king's voice boomed in the hall and she quickly snapped to attention.

"Good day to all. Today we have come together in order to register the fighters that are representing their people. After today, the fighters have the option to go home for a week and come back one day before the tournament begins or they can stay here for the entire week," said King Kund.

"I am proud to see many whom I know of and some I have just met," he said. "However, I am pleased to announce that the Moran empire has its own two fighters. I'd like to introduce my son Sean and his close friend Tan as the representatives of the Moran Empire."

Astrid gasped. The men that she thought were wimpy-looking were actually considered the strongest in the empire that was hosting the tournament. As the red-head started talking, Himaz waved his hand and his voice {the redhead's} magnified immediately.

"Thank you all for coming. I am Sean, son of the King and heir to the throne. However, on the grounds it doesn't matter where I come from. All that matters is that I will fight for the honor of being called the champion," he declared. "I call upon all neighbors to give it their best shot and try to defeat me. May the best fighter win."

After that, he left the stage with Tan on his heels.

"He's so conceited," said Astrid.

"Well, maybe he has the skills to back it up," replied Hiccup.

"Enough talking. It's time to move. The elder wants to go home and then come back one week from now," Stoick interrupted.

Petrid led the group of vikings back out of the entrance and to a chariot that was similar to the one that they had arrived in. 

"We will meet again in one week," said Petrid.

The group of 5 didn't talk much as they were being escorted to the docks. In the chariot, there was an air of tension as well as excitement. It was mainly due to the fact that there were many strong people. Hiccup looked at the empire as the 5 were sailing back to Berk only to prepare for what was to come.

**A/N: Well well well...seems like you can see the strongest contenders in the tournament. **

**To Be Continued in Chapter 5 which will be posted latest by** _**SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10th 2010.**_

**nap-rik signing out...**


	5. The First Match

**Author's Note: **

**First and Foremost**

**TO ALL MY READERS,**

**I AM EXTREMELY SORRY THAT I MADE A DEADLINE A LOOOOONNNNGGG TIME AGO AND DIDN'T FULFILL IT!**

**BECAUSE OF THAT, I WILL REFRAIN FROM MAKING ANY DEADLINES. HOWEVER, I WILL FINISH THIS STORY.**

**With that being said, here's chapter 5 of The Phantom and his Dragon.**

**I don't own How To Train Your Dragon.**

**Read and Review please!**

**Constructive Criticism will be greatly appreciated!**

7 days went by almost as fast as 7 minutes. Hiccup blinked a few times and found himself getting back on the viking ship to go back to the Moran Empire. In that one week, he rode on Toothless many times because he knew that he wouldn't be able to bring the dragon along.

As he buckled his shoes and strapped his knapsack on, Toothless gave a small whine.

"I know you want to come with me," said Hiccup. "But I can't let you. If word got out that we have dragons, who knows how far others would go to use you all. Besides, I'll only be gone for a few days."

With a sigh, Hiccup hoisted his things and started off towards the docks. Stoick had been training Astrid the entire week, so he hadn't seen either of them that much during the past week. Upon reaching the docks, Stoick was talking with Astrid and Gobber. He stopped what he was saying and headed over to Hiccup.

[Oh great], thought Hiccup. [Another lecture is just what I needed most].

"Listen Hiccup. Every fighter needs an assistant. Now I'm counting on you to be an assistant to Astrid," said Stoick.

"Quick Question. What exactly is an assistant's job?," asked Hiccup.

"An assistant oversees a fighter and makes sure that the fighter is in prime condition. The assistant's job is to also cater to the fighter's needs and preferences," Stoick replied.

"Let me get this straight. I'm basically an errand boy, right?," said Hiccup.

"No, you're also important, just not as much as the fighter. Don't worry, King Kund will explain more about it in detail," said Stoick.

The trip to Moran seemed to end really quickly. This is probably because Hiccup slept the entire way. Pretty soon, he was being nudged gently by Astrid to wake up because they had arrived at the palace. While the group was making their way to the main hall, Hiccup was yawning and still trying to fully wake up.

Once they got to the main hall, they made their way to their designated area which had the banner of Berk. Petrid was standing there as well.

"In a short while, King Kund will come out and give the opening speech and then the draws for the first round of the tournament shall be made. There are 2 tournaments, one for the adults and one for the youth," said Petrid. "There are a total of 16 fighters per tournament and 32 fighters total. There are another 32 participants that will be the combatant assistants."

Hiccup felt out of place, because he was the weakest looking guy in his group and possibly the weakest looking guy in the entire main hall. He had zero fighting skills by himself.

"Don't worry about it, you will be fine," said Astrid, noticing his slight dismay.

"Yeah," he said.

King Kund took to the front of the hall and cleared his throat. Any and all conversation died down almost immediately.

"Good Morning, my fellow people. Today, is a day in which honor will be gained for each land and fighters will demonstrate the pride of their people," said King Kund in his booming voice.

Hiccup waited patiently while Kund talked about honor, tradition, pride, and integrity. After that, the tournament draws were done for the first round of the youth and adult tournament. Astrid was going to face off against a guy named Bori from Normat and Stoick was to fight against a man named Gregot who was from Tine.

As King Kund finished his speech, Petrid took Stoick and Gobber to one room and Hiccup and Astrid to another room. As they parted ways, they wished each other good luck. While Stoick talked to Astrid, Gobber pulled Hiccup aside.

"Hiccup, your job will be as an assistant and you have to make sure that Astrid remains in top condition physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's a lot more important than just being a simple errand boy," he said.

Soon after, Petrid, Hiccup and Astrid were in a combatant's waiting room. It seemed to be just outside the arena because, after a while, the buzz of thousands of spectators talking could be clearly heard. Hiccup was given an assistant's kit which had basic materials including a towel, a weapon sharpener, some pouches of water, and some bandages.

"You are allowed to have your own materials," said Petrid. "But all assistants receive this basic kit." Then he left the room.

As Hiccup took the kit, he looked at Astrid. She had her head in her hands and seemed to be concentrating very hard. Hiccup wanted to say something but he couldn't because he himself was a ball of nerves by now and he didn't want to say something wrong.

Suddenly, there was a roar from the spectators which seemed to signal that the first fight was going to begin. As it progressed there were highs and lows from the crowd's cheering, but finally there was a loud roar of approval as the voice of an announcer could be heard. No doubt proclaiming the winner.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Petrid came back in the room.

"Your fight is next."

That really didn't help matters because both of the young vikings' blood was boiling. One of excitement and one of nerves. Hiccup got his kit together while Astrid got her weapons together. She had throwing knives and a double-headed battle axe. On the handle of the knives and on the axe itself, there was a symbol of Berk, which was a head similar to the ones on the ships that they had back home. It was almost like the head of a dragon. Thinking of dragons made Hiccup think of Toothless and he really wished that the dragon was here because then he wouldn't be so nervous.

"The battle will be 3 rounds of 10 minutes apiece. After 10 minutes, the fighters will take a 2 minute break with their assistants. If you win before the 10 minutes are over, then your match is over and you will proceed to the next round. By the end of the third round, if neither combatant has fallen, then the fight will continue until a winner is determined," said Petrid.

"There are three ways that you can win against your opponent. If they land outside the ring, if you knock them unconscious, or if they surrender, then victory is yours. If you try to kill your opponent, the guards will forcefully restrain you and you will be disqualified for the remainder of the tournament," he explained.

As the announcer gave a short introduction for Bori, Astrid waited by the entrance with Hiccup and Petrid. Bori came out and the crowd roared again.

"She may be small, but she isn't to be underestimated. Announcing the golden phoenix of Berk, ASTRID HOFFERSON," exclaimed the announcer and the crowd boomed.

Astrid and Hiccup walked out to their side of the arena which had a bench and a table on it.

"Wish me luck," said Astrid.

"Break a leg," he replied. "Actually don't...just be careful out there."

"Thanks."

She cracked up, smiled, and made her way in to the combat ring taking only her battle axe with her.

"What about your throwing knives?," Hiccup asked.

"I'll use them in the 2nd round of this fight," she replied.

The bell gonged and both fighters made their way to the arena. Bori was a big, tall, and fat boy with a giant club. His assistant was a girl that was tall, but very skinny.

Bori and Astrid circled the arena facing eye to eye. Suddenly, Bori decided to go for the first strike. He took two giant steps and brought his massive weapon overhead. While he was slow taking his giant steps, he wasn't slow in swinging his club and Astrid could just barely put up her shield and battleaxe in time to block the blow. Had she only put up her shield, it would have been broken.

As it was, she was barely holding on. She jumped backwards and did a somersault to put some distance in between her and Bori. She circled around him waiting to strike and then leaped in to his range and deflected his blow while getting closer and closer to him. Just as she was about to give him a mid section blow, he used the butt of his axe and whacked her on the head which dazed her temporarily. This gave Bori enough time to pick her up and throw her down. He brought his club down, but she narrowly dodged it.

All this time, Hiccup was watching Bori's actions intently. He knew that Astrid could beat this guy, but she was getting tossed around too easily.

_What is she doing_. _She can take this guy easy. Is it because she's nervous? Or has she just not seen it yet?_

"Fighters, to your sides," boomed the announcer which interrupted Hiccup's thoughts.

Astrid came over to him looking very tired and fatigued. She put her head in her hands while Hiccup gave her a some water and a towel.

"Are you okay?," he asked gently.

All he got back was a deep sigh in response.

He looked to the other side and saw that Bori's assistant was giving him food and water, no doubt to keep him sharp for the next round.

Hiccup then decided to help Astrid as best as he could possibly. He wasn't a fighter and he wasn't a healer, but he was smart and that was half the battle.

"Astrid, look at me."

She obliged.

"I can tell you his weakness and how to defeat him."

"Are you kidding me? No offense Hiccup, but you have no combat experience at all!" she exclaimed.

"Just hear me out. His strengths are his weapon speed, power, and range."

"No way! Did you figure that out on your own?" she said sarcastically

He ignored her scorn and asked "In your opinion, what do you think is his weak point?"

"I don't know...his speed?"

"That's one of them. However, his main weakness is how his body is proportioned. If you look at him, you'll see that while he is a large upper body, his lower body isn't as large and therefore it can't support the upper body that well. In addition, he is slow to react when dealing with a sudden change of pace."

"So, what do I do?"

"Here's the plan." As Hiccup was talking to Astrid, her face went from stressed to calm to excited.

"That's a really good observation, but are you sure it's going to work?" she asked uncertainly.

"If you do EXACTLY as I told you, then you can k/o him in this round and end it," Hiccup replied.

This time, she took her battle axe and 2 throwing knives and left the shield on the table. She also took a towel that was in the basic kit that Petrid had given Hiccup earlier. She tied the towel to the handle of her battle axe as per Hiccup's plan.

"FIGHTERS! YOUR TIME IS UP!"

Astrid made her way back to the ring, looking as battered as she did when she got out in the first round. Meanwhile her opponent looked at her smugly.

_He must be thinking that his victory is certain. Boy, is he in for a surprise!_ _If I can follow Hiccup's strategy, then I might just win, _thought Astrid.

"ROUND TWO! BEGIN!" boomed the announcer.

Astrid stepped out in the arena to face Bori. To start things off, she threw the battle axe, with the towel tied to it, at Bori's feet. Bori jumped back and the axe got stuck in the ground where his toes once were. Everyone in the arena, except for Hiccup, was stunned, because they thought that she just did the worst move ever.

_I can't blame them. _Hiccup thought. _I mean who would start off a fight by throwing away their main weapon. It takes guts to do something like that. _

Now axeless, Astrid ran towards him holding the 2 knives and leaped into his range again. To Bori, it seemed as if Astrid hadn't learnt her lesson the first time. Bori brought his enormous club down and Astrid deflected it and circled around him, getting closer and closer to him. Everything was going just as it had in Round 1. Bori recognized this pattern of attack and waited until Astrid was about to strike with her knives and he whacked her with the short end of the club (harder this time) and she went flying backwards.

Or so he thought, but instead she jumped backwards on purpose just when the club was about to hit her. To everyone in the arena, it seemed as if she had gotten blasted backwards, but the only person who knew better was Hiccup.

Time slowed down for Astrid as she was in midair. She threw both her knives one at a time, so that Bori had to block for both. While Bori was busy with the knives, Astrid took her now free hands and grabbed on to the towel that was tied to the battle axe that had first gotten stuck in the ground.

_I hope this works,_ Astrid thought fervently.

Using the towel, she swung around the handle of her battle axe and extended her legs. This quick spin caused Astrid to hit Bori's not so strong ankles and he fell on his back. She did another half spin and stopped right next to her battle axe that was still stuck in the ground. She crouched and sprung with explosive power at Bori who was lying face up. Her knees met his collarbone area keeping him down. When she landed, she yanked the towel she was still holding- hard. The battle axe came out of the ground and towards her.

She caught it deftly by the handle; with one side of the axe right next to Bori's throat. She had him pinned and her weapon was right by Bori's jugular veins.

"I lose," surrendered Bori.

The arena exploded with cheering. Hiccup gathered all of the things together and he and Petrid made their way to Astrid. The announcer got to Astrid first and proceeded to raise her arm in the air.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! HERE IS YOUR WINNER, ASTRIIIIIIIIIIIID HOOOFFERSOOON OF BEEEEEEEERK!"

The crowd roared and Astrid closed her eyes and took all of this in.

_In the end, I couldn't have done it without Hiccup, _she thought and smiled. She regrouped with Petrid after she and Hiccup acknowledged Bori and his assistant for a well fought battle.

Once they were all ready, Petrid led the pair back to the residential area for Berk. Hiccup and Astrid were greeted by a very proud Stoick and Gobber as well as a satisfied Elder.

Once the two were left alone, Astrid grabbed Hiccup by the collar and gave him a kiss.

"Thanks Hiccup," she said and went to her room leaving a dazed Hiccup to stumble his way to his room and to his bed.

**Stay tuned!**

**Please Review and Give Me Criticism or Suggestions on what to do to make the story more appealing. **

**Next Time: Stoick faces Gregot and we skip ahead 2 weeks later to the future to see the semifinals begin. Also, Himaz's evil plan comes closer and closer to fruition.**


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